KEY POINTS:
Ace flanker Richie McCaw takes the rising Tri-Nations complaints about his play as a compliment.
Just like fellow loose forward Jerry Collins, the All Black captain views complaints that he gets preferential treatment from referees and repeatedly infringes the breakdown laws as jealous reactions from his rivals.
"I
must be playing all right, I guess," was McCaw's laconic response to the charges.
McCaw heard the Springboks' wrath and then listened in the past few days as the Wallabies racheted up the pressure ahead of Saturday's Bledisloe Cup decider at Eden Park. The grievances were nothing new for McCaw or even a motivation weapon.
"I don't even think about it to be honest, I just laugh at it and carry on.
"It gets a bit tiring after a while but I guess it is what you expect. The position you play and being a part of this team there are always going to be bits and pieces like that. I just get on with it really," he said.
McCaw, who has been sinbinned once in his 54 tests, said he was not confused about his rights at the breakdown. He did not have any solutions to help match officials adjudicate on the most contentious area, nor was he sure that two referees would make any difference.
"For me, in the rules it is fairly clear, like really clear, as to what you are allowed to and what you are not allowed to do. What is really tough from the referees' point of view and for people watching is that things happen so damned quick that where a referee looks often determines who is going to be in the firing line more than the others," said McCaw.
He had been penalised twice in Christchurch against the Boks and thought one decision was "fairly harsh" and suffered a similar judgment against the Wallabies at the McG.
"So for me it was just the way the game was and I thought I did my job in it, which I always do."
All Black forwards coach Steve Hansen defended his skipper this week and suggested any infringements were an optical illusion because the loose forward arrived so fast at the breakdown. McCaw said the best counter against conceding breakdown penalties was to carry the ball across the gain line.
"Then it is really clear to work out who is infringing. When you play behind the advantage line you get in trouble because they can slow the ball down quite legitimately as we have to retreat through the gate."
The All Black captain was puzzled by ideas that his reputation intimidated match officials.
"I wouldn't have thought so and if it did the ref shouldn't be reffing," he said. "He has got a lot of other things he needs to be doing and if he gets influenced by the crowd or players talking then we have got a lot of trouble."
Welshman Nigel Owens will control Saturday's test and while McCaw said he knew little of his style he would speak to him before the match to understand what instructions he would use at the breakdown. Some officials used "hands off" or "ruck formed" and the secret was to listen and adapt.
"I will have a go at the ball until the ref tells me I can't and then I will make an effort to get out of the way. As long as I do that and know what is happening then hopefully I should get away with it, it should work pretty well," McCaw said quickly correcting himself.
